Amusement game



Dec. 21, 1937. E. P. STEIN ET AL AMUSEMENT GAME 2 Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed Dec. 28, 1934 Dec. 21, 1937.

E. P. STEIN ET AL Original Filed Dec. 28, 1934 AMUSEMENT GAME 2 Sheets--Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 21, 1937 AMUSEMENT GAME I Edward P..'Stein, Fulton D. Thornton, and Robert Morris, Chicago, 111., John A. Russell, Chicago, Ill.

assignors of one-half to Original application December 28, 1934, Serial 759,538. Divided and this application April '13, 1937, Serial No. 136,560

10 Claims.

Our invention relates to improvements in an amusement game of the ball projecting type having a playing board inclined or sloped from the horizontal so that balls may-gravitate down the same into holes formed through the board to trap the balls; The present application is a divisional application of our copending application Serial Number 759,538, filed December 28, 1934 for Amusement game. Y These holes may have certain values to encourage skill and competition among several'players. For instance;in the form-of the game hereinto be disclosed, it is intended to simprovide each hole with a normally opericheck or trap door hingedly mounted in the holes and having a trip leg portion formed therewith to receive the ball dropping through the hole to hinge or pivot the trap door or check to hole closing position.

The primary object of our invention is to provide a ball closed trap door for the holes in the game board.

Still another very important object is to providea coin released shiftabl'e or other movable means for resetting, the trap doors to hole uncovering position.

Other important objects will no doubt be apparent to those skilled inthis art.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings: Figure 1 is a general plan view of the amuse- -ment game; a

Figure 2 is an enlarged side sectional view through the game taken along the line 2-2 of Figurel, looking in theadirection of the arrows;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail'plan view of the underrshiitable mechanism for resetting the trap doors, the view being. taken along the line 33 of Figure 2 lookingdownwardlyg Figure 4 is an enlarged front. view of the novel trap door-structure, seen partly in section an viewed along the'line 4-4 of Figure5;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal, enlarged, detail sectional. view through a ball-trap and hole taken zsalongithe line. 5-5ofiFigurel; Y

Figure 6 is a detail cross sectionalview through the guide between the top board and guide :or alley panel'as seen along theline 6-6 ofFigure 5 to show its cross sectional'contour; and,

Figure '7 is a similar sectional viewiof the same guide taken along the line 1-1 of Figure 5.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2 the game is housed in a box I5 having a front wall? Hi, the box, or cabinet being closed at its top by a glass panel 11. The game board is shown at l8 the 'sam'e'being 1'0 sloped from the horizontal with its low end toward the front wall l6. At theright hand side of the board I8 isa ball projection passage [9' anda't the front end thereof is a manually operable ball projector zll'carried in thefront wall-.16; The up- 15 7 per end of the board I 8 is formed withan arcuate track piece 2| to lead the projected ballsto a cushion 22 from which the balls rebound to gravitate down the board l8.. Across'rthe lower edge of the board '18 is a transverse partition 23 having inclined rear edges to cause a ball rolling thereto toberled to a central hole 24 to "drop-"therethrough andbe caught by-'a shallow transverse inclined trough 25p whlch' leads'such:bal1s back into the'passage l9 to gravitate back'into position to be rolled over again by'the projector 20. This .gives the player a. free play of all balls missing the main holes arranged over the game boardf Forwardly of the lower end ofthe board mmtween the partitionl23 and front wall I6 is aigo' 3| to a conventional form of coin released slide 32 7 so that when the slide is moved the plate 29 and r all structure connected therewith moves also; Below the plate726 the cabinet in any'desired way carries a U-shaped ball'receiving trough 39 the parallel runs of which are reversely inclined in a transverse direction. Balls, as will later be described falling into :the rear run (which isthe one remote from the front wall "5) roll by gravity to the left-hand side of the cabinet,:thence around the bight portion and finally into the other'or -'45 rear run of the trough to gravitate toward 7 the right-hand side of the cabinet where a suit able lifter,rindicated at 40 is disposed for elevating the balls into the lower end of the passage IQ for projection onto the board I8 by the'sh'oote'r 20.5

as disclosed in our copending application mentioned. 7

Scatteredover the board 18 andformed-there through are a number of ball drop holes 55, each 'said hole being half rounded at their rearends .which marking may, if desired, be placed on each 7 door check 6|.

- given hole.

to receive the balls and formed with parallel longitudinal side edge portions toward their forward ends by notching out the board as at 55. The holes are so shaped, each to receive a tubular and U-shaped depending ball guide 51 which as shown in Figures 4, Sand 2 are each slitted vertically at their front edge and spread apart to form parallel sides 58 to fit the notched hole 55. These sides 58 in each hole include upstanding ears 59 to carry a pivot pin for hingedly mounting a trap door 5| having wings 52 for normally resetting the doors on the board 18 as shown in Figure 5 in hole opening position. The door is so held by its own weight.

Further each door includes a trip leg 63 extending angularly from the door BI and normally in a position within the hole 55 to obstruct the same so that a ball entering the hole must engage the leg 63 to pivot the door 5! downwardly to hole closing position in an obvious manner. Each guide 58 is U-shaped at 58 as shown in Figure 6,

in cross section, and has its lower end cut off at an angle as at 64 to provide another U-shaped cross section as shown in Figure '7.

A ball dropping through any hole 55 closes the trap door 6| and then drops down through the board I8 onto a guide or alley member made up preferably of a number of channel members which may be half round pipe-like sections 65 arranged in parallelism side by side and welded together to form an alley panel stationarily mounted on the walls of the cabinet as shown in Figure 2.

There is one such lengthwise groove or alley 65 under each hole 55 and the guides 51 are U- shaped properly to direct each falling ball with certainty onto its alley 65, said guide members .51 being associated with the alley panel 65 between it and the top board I 8. It is noted that each alley or groove 65 guides a ball onto the alley board 53 which has alined grooves or tracks as heretofore described.

Slide bars 35 at their rear ends are connected by a cross bar 66 which carries a number of push rods 61 there being one over each groove 65 and one for engaging the leg 63 of each trap door 6|.

These rods are of different lengths as the holes 55 'are difierently spaced lengthwise along the board l8. When the slide 32 is moved everything connected thereto is also moved, such for example as the plate 29, bars 35, 65 and rods 61.

The game board l8 on its top surface may be ornamented by card designations such as the diamond, spade, club, and heart, shown, and each hole 55 may be appropriately marked to show the various cards in each suit to make possible the playing of a simulated poker card game, as has been stated.

- As a ball drops through a hole 55 it presses down --on the leg trip 63 of the door to pull the same downwardly to hole closing position so that only one ball, during a game cycle can drop through a Each hole will have some card designation such as king of clubs, queen of spades, etc.,

The ball dropping through the hole as described is definitely guided by the member 51, which is U-shaped in cross section, onto a guide alley 65 to permit the ball to roll down the same and into the trough 39.

When the game cycle of play is over, the coin chute or slide 32 is operated to push the bars 29, 66 and rods 61 rearwardly (away from the front wall I 6) causing said rods to engage the legs 63 of all closed doors 6! to raise same to their hole opening positions in an obvious manner.

It is the intention to cover all changes and variations of the example of a game structure herein selected for purposes of illustration which do not depart from the spirit and scope of our invention as hereinafter claimed.

What we claim'is:

1. A game of the ball projecting type having an inclined game board provided with a hole therethrough to receive a ball, said board at the hole being out out'to provide a notch presenting parallel side edges, a normally vertically disposed trap door arranged over the board including hinge means in the notch for connecting the trap door to the board, said door including a trip arm extending normally into the hole to receive a dropping ball to close the trap door with respect to the hole, and slidable means arranged below the board to engage the trip arm for moving said door back to its vertical hole opening position.

2. A game of the ball projecting type having an inclined game board provided with holes therethrough, a movably mounted closure member adjacent each of said holes and having portions operable by balls dropping through said holes to move the closure members to hole closing positions, and means movably carried below the game board for resetting said closure members into hole opening positions.

3. A game of the ball projecting type having an inclined game board down which balls may gravitate, said board provided with holes through which balls may drop, an inclined guide member having spaced channel alleyways located under the board, and said alleyways having ends terminating substantially under the holes and having U-shaped guides located between the board and guide member and surrounding the terminal ends of the alleyways to guide the balls dropped through the holes into the alleyways;

4. An amusement game having a board over which a ball may be rolled to drop into a hole formed therethrough, a pivoted trap door for the hole normally arranged substantially vertically but movable to a hole closing position, the trap door including an angularly related leg normally located in the hole to be engaged by a ball dropping into the hole whereby to pivot the door to a position closing the hole.

5. An amusement game having an inclined board over which a ball may roll to be caught.

by holes formed through the board and through which a ball may drop, a second inclined member under the board and comprising alleys the ends of which lie substantially under the respective holes, a guide under each hole to direct dropping balls onto the alleys, a ball closed trap door for each hole, and shiftable means between the board and member to reopen the trap doors.

6. An amusement game having an inclined board over which a ball may roll to be caught by holes formed through the board and through which a ball may drop, a second inclined member under the board and comprising alleys the ends of which lie substantially under the respective holes, a tubular guide carried in each hole .75

and extending therebelow to direct. dropping balls onto the alleys, said guides pivotally carrying ball closed trap doors for the holes which doors include trip arms, and shiftable means movable into the guides to reset the doors to hole opening position.

7. The combination with a game board over which a ball may be projected to drop into a hole formed therein of a hinged door for the hole and normally disposed substantially vertical but movable to hole closing position, said door having a substantially right angularly disposed trip arm secured thereto and normally located to receive the ball dropping through said hole for moving the door to hole closing position.

8. A ball projecting game comprising an inclined panel formed with a hole to receive a ball, a door hingedly mounted adjacent the hole, and normally upstanding above said panel, said door having "a trip arm engageable by balls passing through said hole for moving said door to hole closing position, and slidable means below the board to engage the trip arm for moving said door to hole opening position.

9. The combination of an inclined board down which balls may gravitate, said board having holes therethrough through which balls may pass, of a second inclined board under the first board, said second board having alleyways whose ends at one end terminate substantially under the respective holes, and a U-shaped wall adjacent the said terminal ends of the alleyways to guide the balls dropped through the holes into the alleyways.

10. In a game apparatus, combination of a member providing a playing surface and having ball exit openings therein; a movably mounted closure member adjacent to each of said ball exit openings and operable by balls passing therethrough to close said openings; and movably 

